Somewhere In The Middle

The only difference between red dirt music and outlaw country is the decade. Had Somewhere in the Middle been released in 1975 and not 2004, Boland and his Stragglers would've been sharing stages with Waylon and Willie. The opening track "Hank," which takes Nashville to task for losing its way, is a clever rewrite of Waymore's classic "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way." That's totally cool. Country music could use a few more bands making hard-edged honky-tonk and rootsy rock 'n' roll.